་ མ་

exertions to the cause there would then be room for hope of God's blessing. Let there be a gathering of the forces; let every Christian gird him for the fight. Let every religious man in the land, not only pray earnestly to God, but take a decided line in those political duties which his station calls on him to perform. Much, very much, might then be done. Let the friends of religion range themselves boldly on the Lord's side in every place, and they would soon shew a formidable phalanx in our national council.

It is not difficult to foretell what would be the immediate and certain result of the kindling of such a spirit. If there were a strong party for God in our national assembly, that party could not fail to hold the balance of power; and those statesmen only would grasp the helm of state, who would conform their policy to the advancement of Christ's kingdom. Then the storm of party strife would be hushed, and the energies of a great nation's council, diverted from that petty warfare in which its usefulness is lost

and its reputation ruined, would be directed to those great questions of real substantial improvement, for want of which the nation sighs and groans. We should no longer see impoverished multitudes fleeing from their native soil, while millions of acres are uncultivated. Famine's ghastly form would no longer stalk over a land, whose green hills woo the husbandman to their bosom. We should no longer see a heathen population growing

up

in the heart of our wealthiest and most intelligent cities, filling our streets with misery and our gaols with crime, without one single effort being made by our rulers to convert and Christianize them. No longer would the prosperity of the revenue be co-extensive with the increase of immorality; no longer would our statesmen waste their labour in the hopeless task of endeavouring to make national happiness coexist with national sin.-No, the wisdom of man, aided by the blessing of God, would speedily rid the nation of these monstrous anomalies; and a prosperous and religious

generation would grow up, which would honour God and be esteemed by him.

Is such a state of things beyond our hopes? Is the flood of ungodliness so great, that nothing can stem it? Is the selfishness and sensuality of the age so enormous, that no remedy can be found? Is God so utterly dishonoured, that there is no hope, by prayer and repentance, by patient and godly exertion, by Christian union and zeal, to win back his lost favour? Oh, this is not the language of a faithful heart! We must not say with the leper, "Lord, if thou wilt thou canst make me clean." We must believe that God both will and can restore us, and that through the means of our own exertions.

In this faith we should ever act and pray; and our measures would then be planned with an energy, and executed with a righteous boldness, which could never have been exerted by the lukewarm or desponding.

And, finally, whatever may be the result, even should it be the will of

God to vindicate his honour by pouring out the vial of his wrath upon an ungodly people, still may each faithful Christian in the land fall back upon his gracious promise, made without reservation to every servant of the Lord, "Him that honoureth me I will honour.' And though contempt and obloquy may await him in this world, he will be cheered by the certain hope that he shall obtain the crown of glory, on that day when the scoffers of God's providence and the oppugners of his will, "shall awake to shame and everlasting contempt, and they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."

SERMON XVIII.

SOME ACCOUNT OF THE CHURCH OF
ENGLAND.

I

ACTS xvi. 4, 5.

"And as they [i. e. Paul and Timothy] went through the cities, they delivered them the decrees for to keep, that were ordained by the Apostles and Elders which were at Jerusalem. And so were the Churches established in the faith and increased in number daily."

I HAVE been requested, brethren, to make known to you, and to recommend to your support, a society which has been lately formed in this diocese, for the purpose of providing church accommodation for the increasing population. And I do so with great readiness for, though I look upon it as the duty of a Christian government to provide religious instruction for every